


neon hearts

by lavendori



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Universe, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Slice of Life, Tokyo (City), Wanderlust, but mostly city-lust, yachi finds herself once again living a shoujo manga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-26
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-11-06 04:05:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17932538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lavendori/pseuds/lavendori
Summary: Tsukishima and Yachi fall for the city and, along the way, for each other.Petals upon petals spiral down from the branches, a flurry of pink littering the sidewalk below. The music swells and the wind picks up, carrying the scattered flowers drifting through the breeze towards them. The scene unfurls before her like a pivotal, panoramic montage from a gripping romance movie and she feels, not for the first time since joining the Karasuno volleyball team, like she’s been dropped directly into the middle of a shoujo manga.





	neon hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [karasun013 (Amiria_Raven)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amiria_Raven/gifts).



> mistakes were made. my aim for this fic was 5k words but uhhh somehow that doubled and i have no idea how lol.
> 
> this is a valentine's fic for panda!! i’m sorry this is so late but !! i hope you enjoy it regardless!
> 
> epitaphs throughout are taken from U2’s “city of blinding lights” — tsukki and yachi strike me as being the kind of people who are introvertedly into the city life and city vibes so i kind of made do with this. again, did not think it would turn out to be more than 5k words but oops here we are. thank you sara & persey for helping me do a quick lookover, and priya of course for always listening to me ramble abt fic ideas + bouncing back with me. you guys are angels. <3

 

 _Neon heart, day-glo eyes_  
_The city lit by fireflies_  
_They're advertising in the skies_  
_For people like us_

 

—

冬

_winter_

❄

 

The window is frosted over when Kei takes his usual seat in the back of the bus. After sitting in the parking lot of the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium for hours, the vehicle seems to have transformed into a giant freezer. Apparently, there’d been a snow storm earlier that afternoon: a flurry of white; ice crystallizing in the atmosphere.

Perhaps the sky raging with them on behalf of their loss.

They were so close. Defeat weighs heavy despite the cold, thin air, cloying and damp. With star players like Bokuto and Kiryuu having graduated, Karasuno had progressed further in the national tournament than they’d done the previous year.  However, having lost some key talents themselves, they had still fallen short, hands outstretched, fingers barely scraping that sweet, sweet victory before it ultimately slipped away from their grasps.

 _Next time,_ Takeda-sensei promises while the team changes back into their clothes. _Next time, we’ll get ‘em._

It’s the notion of thinking ahead for next time, Kei thinks, that causes Ennoshita to pull Yamaguchi away the moment they step foot onto the bus. With a mumbled apology to Kei, Yamaguchi follows their senior to the two seats in the front row, leaving Kei to continue on down the aisle until he reaches his own. Sore from doing battle all day, his legs shake as he lowers himself to sit down while the rest of his teammates begin to file in. Not wanting to be bothered by any of them, especially Kageyama and Hinata, who are arguing about something as usual while pushing their way down the aisle, Kei turns away from the empty seat beside him and stares out the window.

Blurry lights wink at him in the distance, their glow dulled and fuzzier through the foggy glass panes. Fitting his headphones snug over his ears, Kei loses himself to the soothing rhythm of lo-fi beats and the deep rumble of engine idling beneath them.

Most of the others look ready to fall asleep, tired probably, from all the tears they shed as they dragged themselves, heads bowed and shoulders slumped, off the court. Kei can’t relate. Crying is not a familiar concept in his repertoire. He’s kept awake instead by the constant, mechanic whirring of his mind shifting into overdrive: if he had just jumped _one second earlier_ against that _one_ spike, had only seen through that _one_ feint from Sakusa of Itachiyama during their final crucial moments, always _one_ millimeter off, _one_ step behind, _one_ beat too late—

The engine sputters and coughs before roaring back to life again. The doors of the bus slide shut. The last person must have finally gotten on. Leaning his elbow against the window sill, Kei gazes out at the blurred parking lot as the bus starts to pull out of their spot.

Before they can even make it out onto the street, he feels a tap on his shoulder and rolls his eyes. No doubt Hinata, who’s sitting behind him, trying to pester him about something. With a begrudging sigh, he lifts one side of his headphones and turns, a quip ready on his tongue.

“If you’re looking for someone to annoy, why don’t you just wake the K—”

The rest of his sentence gets lost in the catch of breath when his eyes meet soft hazel instead of bright bronze.

“Oh — Yachi-san,” he mutters in lieu of an apology.

“Ah… sorry, Tsukishima-kun,” Yachi scratches the back of her head with a nervous smile. “Ennoshita-kun and Yamaguchi-kun were chatting in front, and I noticed you were alone so… ah! — But of course!” she waves her hands frantically. “If you’d prefer to sit by yourself, then I can just—”

“It’s fine.”

“W-what?”

Kei turns back towards the window, hiding half his face in the palm of his hand, elbow still propped up against the sill.

“I don’t mind,” he mumbles out of the corner of his mouth. “You can sit.”

Yachi lets out a sigh of relief before taking a seat and beaming up at him. “Thank you, Tsukishima-kun!”

“Don’t mention it,” he says as the bus finally pulls out of the lot.

For the first few minutes of the ride, they sit in complete silence, Kei’s music playing on in one ear. His other ear is left halfway uncovered, a small gesture — or an obvious one, for anyone who knows him well — that conversation is welcome. Beside him, Yachi is looking down, her fingers fidgeting in her lap. As Kei observes this from the corner of his eye, his stomach twists in anticipation, wondering (hoping, even) that Yachi will take the bait. It isn’t until they merge onto the freeway that Yachi finally speaks up.

“I’m sorry we weren’t able to make it,” she sighs, keeping her eyes trained on her lap. “I really thought we had a chance this year.”

Kei tilts his head slightly towards her and frowns.

“We did. But there were so many moments, so many vital points where—” he breaks off, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I know. I just wasn’t fast enough.”

“N-no! That’s not it!” She shakes her head vigorously. “You played really well! Everyone fought their very best. We all did.”

Kei goes quiet and leans back in his chair, letting the headphones slide off his head to dangle around his neck.

“It just wasn’t enough,” he sighs. “In the end, I didn’t save enough.”

To his surprise, Yachi’s lips curve up into a small, wry smile.

“Your brother said you’d probably talk like that,” she says, and Kei’s eyebrows raise even higher. “He says you only trust in the information that’s in front of you, and that you’re the kind of person who overthinks and turns things over and over in your head until you wear yourself out.”

Kei scowls, looking back out the window. He’s already had to accept that he’ll always be an open book to Akiteru, no matter what happens to the both of them, but to hear that someone else has any amount of transferred knowledge on the matter makes him feel stripped and completely laid bare. “Is that so?”

Her soft laugh is a tinkling melody to his ears. Unable to help himself, he turns his head back to look at her. The grin she wears shines genuine and bright.

“I think it’s endearing. I can tell he really loves you a lot!”

Kei’s ears grow hot at these words and his tongue feels heavy in his mouth. He can’t remember the last time he’s found himself devoid of any good quips. When it comes to witty comebacks and rational arguments, Kei has no problem coming out on top. Against this earnest and cheerful observation from someone as kind as Yachi on the other hand, he is quite empty-handed and at a loss for what to say.

Fortunately, he’s saved from the awkward pause that follows when Yachi’s eyes go wide and she leans over his seat, neon lights reflected in her starry gaze. Following her lead, Kei turns to stare back out the window.

By now, the ice has defrosted, the heat from the engine leaving droplets of condensation trailing down the pane’s fogged up surface. Beyond that, the blinding buildings of Shinjuku tower over them, its bright signs and city lights flashing as they make their way around the bend of the freeway overpass. In a blaze of brilliant colors, shades of blue, purple, and red illuminate their faces, twin looks of awe trailing after its luminosity long after the skyline passes from their sight.

“So pretty…” Yachi murmurs, her gaze still fixed somewhere beyond their window. Kei nods in agreement as something winged and fluttery beats against the cage of his chest, longing and aching to burst free and lose itself in that metropolitan wink of fireflies. Beside him, he can feel Yachi’s breath, her warm presence filling up the empty space between them.

Together, they stare out at the city from the same vantage point, two separate dots on the map speeding back towards Miyagi, solitary but not alone. Although he’s not sure what exactly is drawing their gaze, somehow, judging by the look of wonder in her eyes, Kei feels certain that they are both looking out into the distance at some place beyond themselves, searching and yearning for something unknown.

Their bus treks further and further away from the heart of Tokyo, the neon lights quickly diminishing with every kilometer. Soon, the brightest section of the city is out of view.  
  
Yachi draws away from him and back into her own seat.

Kei lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

 

—

春

_spring_

❀

 

_“Hitoka. I’ve got several back to back meetings all day so I’ll be out late again. There’s no need to wait up for me. As always, feel free to wander around the city on your own. You have the second hotel key on you, right?”_

_“Yes, Mother! It’s right here.”_

_“Alright. Be good — and have fun, okay?”_

_“Mm! I will!”_

 

There’s a crisp chill in the air when Hitoka steps outside the hotel after her complimentary breakfast, the final remnants of winter still clinging in the skies. Weak rays of sun filter through the clouds, casting a soft, pale light over the streets of Shinjuku. With no real destination in mind, she sets off, turning left and heading down a line of retail shops just beginning to open.

It’s nice, Hitoka thinks, strolling around Tokyo like this. She doesn’t usually accompany her mother on business trips, but she’s on break and had thought it’d be nice to get out of town for a little. And besides, there’s always been something about big cities and bustling streets that seem to call out to her. There’s something comforting about being an anonymous observer hidden among a sea of people, known only to one’s self, flitting about from one place to the next in a forest of towers. Big cities leave you feeling like the world is at your feet.

Tightening her grip around her wallet, Hitoka descends the steps down to the subway stop below. Having been here for a week, the immediate area around her hotel has become as familiar as their neighborhood in Sendai. While her mother is busy with clients, Hitoka loses herself in the ebb and flow of the rhythm of the city. It’s become comfortable being here, like spending time with an old friend she didn’t know she had. Because of this, she hasn’t ventured out too far from the hotel over the last few days, despite the list Hinata had given her. (Apparently, he had texted Kozume-san the moment he heard Hitoka was going on this trip and Kuroo-san had stepped in to give his input. Either way, she’d been overwhelmed the next day by a long, enthusiastic email from her very excitable friend.)

Hitoka swipes her metrocard through the barrier and studies the train map on the wall, figuring it’s time to decide where to go. She hasn’t been to Ueno Park yet and Hinata had mentioned that _even Kenma likes it!_ It had sounded really pretty from their Nekoma friends’ descriptions so, once she pinpoints the correct line to take, she follows the trail of commuters down the steps and onto the platform.

The ride takes around half an hour. Arms stretched up towards the ceiling, Hitoka can barely latch onto the handle above her. With the train packed full of people, it’s all she can do to stop herself from tumbling over into one of the strangers beside her.

The center of Tokyo is overwhelming in that way. Although her apartment in Sendai is in its a more metropolitan area, it’s nowhere near as dense and serious as Tokyo. There are so many serious, tall, official-looking men dressed in immaculate, polished up suits, all wearing serious expressions on their faces, like they _really_ mean business. Keeping one hand on the train handle and her elbow tucked in as best as possible, Hitoka has the sudden urge to make herself smaller in their midst.

What’s that like, she wonders, to be so certain and sure of oneself that it shows on the outside, even contributes to the overall mood of the city’s atmosphere. If she lived here, would that confidence rub off on her?

 _Ah, no, that’s silly,_ she shakes her head internally.

_But it would be nice if that were true…_

Once she arrives at her stop, Hitoka steps out with a few of the business men and a couple of foreign families, presumably visiting Japan on their spring break. The underground tunnel is packed with more people dressed in suits and fancy work shoes, a two way stream of moving black pieces flowing this way and that. Hiking her purse further up onto her shoulder, she makes her way up the steps towards the exit.

Drops of water rain down on her face the second she resurfaces. Clutching her purse closer to her chest, Hitoka quickens her pace and hurries under the nearest cover she can find, right below a line of shops.

 _An umbrella!_ That’s what she’d forgotten to bring. She hadn’t expected anything more than a mild shower this week but this is a lot more rain than she’d anticipated, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to let up any time soon. It’s a ten minute walk to the park so there’s no chance she won’t be drenched by the time she gets there.

_Better to wait it out then go see the cherry blossoms a little later…_

Fortunately, there is no shortage of shops and places to duck into for several blocks to come. After a few minutes of ambling about and sticking close to walls where she can find cover, Hitoka stumbles upon a large, spacious coffee shop and slips in behind an older business woman.

The walls and countertops are sparkling white and dazzling. Every corner, every light from above, seems to be winking down at her. Again, there are people in suits, this time lined up in front of her, and college students congregating around tables with their laptops out. It’s a familiar sight that reminds her of coffee shops back home, yet at the same time, so unfamiliar and refreshing in this new context.

After ordering a caramel latte, Hitoka steps off to the side so she can take in the ambience once more. The clink of metal and hiss of espresso machines fill the air. All around her, customers like her are standing by in wait or sitting at tables, lost in their own worlds: a group of girls speaking Chinese giggling over their phones, an elderly gentleman talking business with a finger over his bluetooth earpiece, Tsukishima Kei resting his chin in the palm of his hand, poring over a book.

_Wait — what?_

Hitoka blinks and does a double take, but her eyes haven’t deceived her. A picture of perfect poise, Tsukishima sits reading alone at a small table with a mug of coffee in front of him, his headphones snug over his ears and his eyes half-lidded with mild interest as he calmly turns the page. He fits seamlessly into the city scene before her, as though he’d grown up strolling around the streets of Tokyo, frequenting coffee shops and blending into the crowd all the time. If she hadn’t known he was from the countryside of Miyagi, she would’ve believed without question that he was from Tokyo.

As she continues to gaze at him from across the room, the notion of confidence and being certain of oneself comes back to her. When it comes to smooth self-assuredness, Tsukishima has it in spades. It’s never been difficult for her to see why Yamaguchi-kun has always looked up to him so much. There’s a certain ethereal shine to Tsukishima that Hitoka herself can admire, as subtle as a halo around the moon.

The entire time she stares, Tsukishima barely moves at all. Besides turning the page of his book and taking a sip of his coffee every once in a while, he’s completely absorbed in his own world, the usual silent request of _Do Not Disturb_ plastered all over his face by default. Like a calm and peaceful lake, his demeanor betrays no ripples or hints as to what he’s thinking or feeling beneath the surface, and Hitoka isn’t sure she wants to disrupt that still water.

“Number 16, caramel latte!”

At the sound of her order, Hitoka shakes out of her reverie. Turning her gaze away from Tsukishima, she steps up to the counter and grabs her cup of coffee. Afterwards, she stops by the condiment station to grab a napkin and peruse all the various additive options.

She’s just eyeing the honey bottle when she feels a gentle hand on her shoulder. Startled, Hitoka turns around and finds herself face to face with none other than Tsukishima Kei himself.

It’s as though a bolt of lightning has hit her squarely in the chest. Hitoka nearly drops her napkin as she fumbles over her surprise. Hadn’t he been sitting down only mere seconds ago, not paying any mind to his surroundings? When did he see her?! How did he get from there to here so fast?!

“Hey,” he deadpans. His headphones have been pulled down to hang around his shoulder, its wire trailing down his front and into his pocket where his phone presumably sits. Tall and looming over her as always, he surveys her now with his calm, amber stare, glowing brighter than usual behind the glint of his glasses.

“A-ah! Good afternoon, Tsukishima-kun!” she stammers, rubbing the back of her head with a large smile plastered on her face. “Funny running into you here! What are you doing in Tokyo?”

Tsukishima tilts his head and raises an eyebrow. Hitoka finds herself feeling self-conscious under his scrutiny. Is she being too obvious? Is he seeing right through her thinly veiled attempt at a cover up? Is he judging her for overreacting?

_Crap. Am I overreacting?!_

“Just visiting my brother,” he replies, and leaves it at that. “You?”

“My mother has business here with a client,” she explains. “Since we’re on break, I decided to come along.”

“Sounds nice.” He pauses and glances at the space around her. “We should probably move out of the way.”

“Oh! Right!” Hitoka bows a mumbled apology to a man she’s just noticed trying to reach around her for a plastic lid and whips around to pick up her own mug of coffee, napkins in hand. Turning back to face him, she frowns. “Would it… would it be okay if I joined you?”

Tsukishima purses his lips, but not in the usual annoyed way he does when he’s talking to Hinata. The slight twitch at the corner of his mouth suggests that he may actually be trying not to smile. Turning away from Hitoka, he starts to walk back to his seat.

“You didn’t really have to ask,” she hears him say.

She follows him to the table and sits down in the chair across from him. Already, he’s picked his book back up and fitted his headphones over his ears. Hitoka sets her cup down between them and stares out at the window, watching passersby trudge through the spring cold with their coats and umbrellas pulled up over their heads.

For the next thirty minutes as Hitoka slowly drains her caramel latte, they don’t speak to each other, but neither of them seem to mind. Both seem content to simply sit back and enjoy the atmosphere.

When the rain starts to show visible signs of clearing, Tsukishima sets down his book. Hitoka looks up from the novel she’s been reading in her phone.

“You’re done with your coffee,” he observes, glancing down at her empty mug.

“Ah — y-yeah…” Hitoka falters, unsure where he is going with this statement. Now that the rain is letting up, she is free to go to the park, but somehow, it would feel rude at this point to excuse herself and just leave.

“Um—” she mumbles at the same time he says, “Did you—?”

Hitoka shakes her head in apology. “You go.”

Tsukishima gazes down at her fingers fidgeting on the table, a knowing look in his eyes. “You didn’t come here just to spend an entire afternoon inside a cafe, did you?”

Hitoka feels a wave of relief. She doesn’t have to explain anything to him.

“No,” she admits. She turns to face outside the window again, watching the sunlight stream through the clouds and lighting up the busy sidewalk. “I was going to take a walk down Ueno park before it started raining, but since I forgot my umbrella, I ended up here.” She turns back to Tsukishima. “Now that the rain’s stopped though, I think I’ll probably go there soon. Would you like to come with?”

He shrugs as though it doesn’t really make a difference in his day. “Sure.”

Together, they clean their table up and head outside.

Although the air is still chilly, the weather has warmed up considerably since the morning. As Hitoka has to take two steps for every one of Tsukishima’s, within the next five minutes, the pace already makes up for any initial coldness she’d felt when they first set foot out of the coffee shop.

As they walk, Hitoka can hear a faint buzz of a melody. It confuses her at first, but it takes her a few moments to realize that it belongs to the music still playing out from Tsukishima’s headphones. He had taken them off a while back before they left the cafe and Hitoka’s just noticed they’re still hanging around his neck. The sound makes her curious.

“Um, Tsukishima-kun?”

For the first time during their walk, Tsukishima slows his pace and looks back at her.

“What is it?”

“Ah — well, I was just wondering… What kind of music do you like to listen to?”

Tsukishima frowns — which sends her mind into a mild panic at once. _What if she’d offended him?! What if he doesn’t want to share about it? After all, music tastes can be pretty personal. Or what if he thinks she’s trying to make assumptions off of him based solely on musical taste alone? Just because he wears his headphones all the time, Hitoka, doesn’t mean his music defines him! After knowing Tsukishima for two years, how could she jump to conclusions about him like that? He’s probably going to say something really sarcastic and the embarrassment will almost kill her. Then she’ll end up having to transfer schools, which will be a lot of paperwork so she really ought to just start apologizing now!_

“S-sorry! You don’t have to tell me if it makes you uncomfortable! I was just asking!”

“Hah?” Tsukishima raises an eyebrow. “No. That’s not it.”

“O-oh.” Hitoka’s gaze drops down to her feet. _Oops._

“I was just thinking that there’s not really an easy way to answer that question,” he says. He falls silent again, looking deep in thought. After a few moments, he reaches up for his headphones and pulls them off over his head. Turning towards her, he says, “You can listen if you want.”

Hitoka’s eyes widen. Tsukishima? Lending someone his headphones? She’s never even seen Yamaguchi borrow them in her life. The thought makes her nervous.

“Are you sure?”

Tsukishima shrugs. “If you want. Generally, I listen to a diverse range of music. Sometimes, it’s the Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel… other times it’s Angela Aki, Sada Masashi, or Takuro Yoshida. Recently, I’ve been in the mood for Sada. I can’t tell you why though; it just is.”

“Ah, I see.” _So he’s into more oldies artists…_

He holds out the headphones to her. “The playlist I have on now is from his album Sada City.”

“Oh — okay,” Hitoka says, taking it gingerly from him. “Thank you, Tsukishima-kun!”

Tsukishima doesn’t reply, but simply walks on and pulls his phone out of his pocket. After scrolling through the list on his screen, he changes the song just as Hitoka fits the headphones over her ears.

A soft piano motif plays out from the speakers. It’s pleasant and light, like a series of delicate notes skimming across the surface of calm waters, and after a few soothing refrains, a smooth male voice begins to sing.

“I like it,” she comments, her voice both muffled and magnified in her own ears under the weight of Tsukishima’s headphones. “It’s really nice.”

She sees more than hears Tsukishima’s acknowledgement of her words, his expression a neutral contentment. The park comes into view as the song continues on, the entrance of guitar and violin strings marking Hitoka’s first sight of the cherry blossom trees lining the outer perimeters of Ueno. Petals upon petals spiral down from the branches, a flurry of pink littering the sidewalk below. The music swells and the wind picks up, carrying the scattered flowers drifting through the breeze towards them. The scene unfurls before her like a pivotal, panoramic montage from a gripping romance movie and she feels, not for the first time since joining the Karasuno volleyball team, like she’s been dropped directly into the middle of a shoujo manga.

Last time, with Hinata, she had still felt like Townsperson B, a side character being dragged alongside the protagonist of the show. Now, however, with Tsukishima’s music playing in her ears and Tsukishima himself walking calmly alongside her towards such a beautiful sight, she somehow feels like the main star.

“Yachi-san.”

“Huh?”

The song ends, snapping her out of her reverie. Shaking herself back to reality, she looks up and sees Tsukishima glancing back at her a few steps ahead. It’s only then that she realizes she had suddenly stopped walking without any warning.

“Oh! I’m sorry!” she flusters, her cheeks burning. Reaching up for the headphones, which are now silent after Tsukishima had turned off the music just now, she takes them off and holds them out to him.

“Thank you for letting me listen,” she continues, taking a few steps forward. “The music and the park! They were just both so pretty, I couldn’t help but stop and admire how beautiful it all is.”

Tsukishima gives one shifty-eyed glance towards the row of trees behind them before looking back at her. Stepping forward, he wraps his fingers around the handle of his headphones but doesn’t pull them away.

“You know, funnily enough, I think I feel the same way.”

He holds her gaze for a little while longer, with only his headphones and its wire between them, until something jittery jumps up in her stomach, causing her to panic and look away.

Her heart… it’s beating so fast. How can she be sure she’s really _not_ in a shoujo manga?

The headphones slip out of her grasp. Looking up, Hitoka sees that Tsukishima’s back is turned to her again, slowly walking towards the inner path between the trees. He stops a little ways ahead and turns back towards her.

“Are you going to loiter around or come along?” he asks.

“Y-yeah! Coming!” Hitoka calls out, running to catch up to him.

Faint sunlight streams through the cherry blossom canopy above, cutting a dappled, floral pattern on the ground below them. As they walk through the curtain of petals swirling around them, Hitoka feels something blossoming in her heart. Much like the time she first felt the fire of the volleyball boys’ passion for the sport, there’s a warm feeling inside her chest that seems to be blooming and expanding, opening up her eyes to new possibilities and new prospects on the horizon.

She glances up at Tsukishima, studies his calm expression, his softly curled hair, littered at the moment with pink flecks and sunshine, and the understanding of what’s happening inside suddenly hits her.

Something new is starting to begin.

—

 _The more you see the less you know_ _  
_ _The less you find out as you go…_

—

夏

summer

☼

 

Kei flicks a mosquito off his arm as he steps out of the shower room, the heat from the day still stifling the night air. Draping his towel over his neck, he presses it against the beads of sweat there on his skin, already forming beneath his damp hair despite the fact that he’s just washed it.

It’s such a bother. Even after undergoing two years of training camp in Saitama prior to this one, working out tirelessly with no reprieve from the heat never gets easier. At least there’d been a hearty first day welcome meal waiting for them at the end of practice and Kei had made up his mind to skip out on any extra sessions Hinata had threatened to drag him into — just for tonight.

His glasses keep sliding down the bridge of his nose. Soon, he thinks, soon. Sleep awaits him.

In no time at all, he rounds a corner and comes up on the building they’re staying in. Ready and eager to collapse onto his futon and sleep undisturbed for as many hours as he can get, Kei walks with purpose towards that promise of sweet slumber.

Before he can make it to the door, however, he sees Yachi walking out of the building dressed in a short-sleeved blouse and a nice pink skirt.

“Oh! Good evening, Tsukishima-kun,” she greets when she sees him.

“Yachi-san.”

Coming to a stop in front of her, he pauses to take in her appearance. Her hair has been pulled up into a tight ponytail with her usual star clip peeking out over the band, and there’s a purse hanging from her shoulder, the turquoise bag draped at her waist. “You look like you’re going somewhere.”

“Mm!” she nods with a sheepish smile. “I was in a rush when I left this morning so I, um… forgot a couple of things back home. My toothbrush for one.”

Kei clicks his tongue in amusement. “No, that won’t do, will it? How are you getting to the convenience store?”

“Well, actually…” she says, rubbing the back of her head. “Since it’s still kind of early, I was thinking of walking to the bus stop and taking a train into the nearest city. There’s a grocery store around there that’ll probably have everything I need.”

Kei purses his lips and fixes her with a puzzled look. “By yourself?”

The idea of Yachi going alone into the city… while Kei wants to believe she is more than capable of taking care of herself, he’s not sure how comfortable he is with her tiny self wandering around in an unfamiliar town after dark. Ennoshita-san would’ve made sure someone accompanied her. Perhaps sleep can wait…

“Ah… yeah,” she admits. “Everyone here is so motivated and intense, I didn’t want to bother them for something as silly as this.”

He gives a one-shouldered shrug and looks down at the ground between them. “It wouldn’t bother me.”

“Huh? But aren’t you going to—?” Yachi blinks up at him, staring. It appears to him that she’s only just registered his damp hair and clean clothes. “Oh. You were going to turn in early tonight?”

“I _was_ …” he says, trailing off a bit. “But I don’t have to.”

Yachi considers him for a moment, looking thoughtful.

“If you want the company, that is,” he adds.

“Um — But don’t you have to…”

Kei holds up a hand to stop her. “I physically cannot bring myself to do extra practice today. Yamaguchi and Hinata will grill me the rest of the week regardless.”

Yachi gives a nervous laugh. “Is that so? Well then, if you’d like to come, I’d love the company!”

“Give me five minutes to drop this off and change,” he says, pulling his towel off his neck and walking past her towards the door. “Then we’ll go.”

 

The bus and subway rides end up lasting no more than thirty minutes. They watch as the city comes into view through the train window, glittering in the night. Once they get off on their stop, Kei follows Yachi’s lead downstairs to the exit. Given that she’s the one who needs to purchase certain necessary items, it’s likely that she’s already picked out a convenience store and knows how to get there.

The night air that greets them on their way out is warm and perceptibly cooler than it’d been when they first boarded the bus. Every once in a while, his glasses still slide down the bridge of his nose, but compared to an hour ago, the overall climate has made a huge improvement.

The side that they’ve exited from appears emptier than he’d expect at this time of night. There are also significantly less neon lights, but the area is still rather blinding after coming from the darkness of Shinzen’s low lit campus. Although Saitama’s capital is a metropolitan area like Tokyo proper is, there are other differences as well. The buildings don’t scrape the skies quite as high here for one, and none of the streets are as densely packed as the Kabukicho district.

“Do you know where we’re going?” he asks when he realizes Yachi is squinting at her phone. They’re standing at the far end of the corner from the subway’s entrance where the road curves and splits off into three different lanes.

“I think so,” she replies, her brows furrowed in concentration. “It should be just that way.”

She points to the middle lane, an uncertain frown on her face.

“Let’s go then,” he says, taking the lead.

The light turns green and they cross the street, cars buzzing loudly as they pass them by. As they walk, Yachi asks him how he feels about the fact that this is their last training camp in their high school career. He gives a few one word answers, unsure of how to expand without spiraling into aimless depths about the future or the human condition, but still finds himself comfortable in the natural flow of conversation between them. She asks about his brother, about what kind of job he works now, how Kei’s views of volleyball and of the people on their team have changed over time. He normally would never bother indulging someone this much with his replies, but as Yachi is such an open and earnest person, he can’t help but give in.

After they’ve been walking around for about fifteen minutes, Yachi stops to check her phone again. Kei stands by and glances around at the buildings around them. Restaurants and bars line the shop fronts on their side of the street. A man in a suit stands in front of a one of them up ahead, chatting deliberately into his bluetooth headset. A couple enters the restaurant across the street from them, looking eager and happy to be finally having dinner. Overall, the scene here is not too different from the city part of Sendai, but it’s still a welcome atmosphere after a full day of volleyball practice.

“Um — Tsukishima-kun?” he hears Yachi say, sounding nervous and uncertain. He turns to her with a questioning look.

“Hmm?”

She’s worrying at her bottom lip, looking anxious. After turning her phone in different angles and checking each direction, she finally speaks up.

“I think we went the wrong way.”

Kei bites back a sigh. If that phrase had come from anyone else ( _especially_ Hinata), he would have given an automatic retort from his arsenal of condescending and sarcastic thoughts. For some reason though, it doesn’t seem to bother him as much when it’s coming from Yachi.

“Don’t worry,” he reassures, stepping behind her to look at her phone over her shoulder. “We’ve only been walking for fifteen minutes, so it can’t be too far.”

“I, um — I think I took us perpendicular to how we should have gone because that first junction was so confusing! … Then after that, we went in a complete opposite direction so… AH!” She claps her hand in apology and bows, causing Kei to lean back in surprise. “I’m sorry, Tsukishima-kun! I got distracted asking you questions and listening to you talk that I forgot to check and make sure we were going in the right direction this entire time!”

“Let me see the map,” he says, holding out his hand. She surrenders her phone over, eyebrows still pinched in disappointment at herself.

“Hey,” he adds. “It happens. Don’t worry. It’s not like we’re in a rush or anything.”

He studies the route on her phone, noting their current location, the intersection they’re closest to, and allows their placement on the map to fill in his physical sense of the entire area surrounding them. According to the navigation instructions, the grocery store she had picked out is now a twenty six minute walk as opposed to the twelve minute one it would’ve been from the station. Cancelling out the search, he types in a simple ‘grocery store’ into the bar and waits to see what comes up.

“We’re in luck,” he announces to her as a red pin pops up in a location closer to them. “There’s another one five minutes from here. And, after you buy your stuff, it’s another ten minute walk to the next station south of that.”

“Ohhh,” she says in an awed voice, gazing up at him. “You’re so smart, Tsukishima-kun! I should’ve just let you navigate in the first place!”

Kei looks away, feeling heat rise up in his cheeks. “It’s nothing…”

“So which way do we go?” she asks, peering over at her phone.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he swivels her around until she’s facing south. “That way.”

She stares down the block, staying stock still, then looks up at him with curious eyes. Kei releases his grip, unsure if maybe he’s broached some invisible line he wasn’t supposed to, and drops his hand awkwardly back to his side.

“I’m—” he starts to say.

“M-maybe you should lead the way!” she blurts out. Somehow, her reactive nervousness startles him into quickly losing the will to finish the rest of his already noncommittal sentence.

“Okay,” he mutters before shoving her phone back into her hands.

Stepping around her, Kei starts walking ahead at once. Maybe if he gets far enough, he can slow his heart rate before she catches up and hears it pounding as loudly as it is now in his ears.

It doesn’t take long for them to arrive at their destination, and the grocery store run takes almost no time. Yachi fills a small basket with various items ranging from the toothbrush she had said she’d needed to a bottle of shampoo to a pack of menstrual pads. (Kei does his best not to bat an eye while in the aisle, but catches a glimpse of her trying to stuff it out of sight beneath a bag of fugashi and a tube of toothpaste.) Twenty minutes later, they finish making their rounds and checking out at the register.

By the time they step outside, the atmosphere has slightly shifted. Having finished their meals, the post-dinner crowd now roams the streets. The city is louder with all the conversations and chatter picking up as locals walk about, looking for a good time on this warm summer’s night. Kei eyes a couple passing by with cups of bubble tea in their hands, zeroing in on the name stamped over their drink. Pulling out his phone, he searches for the place.

“Do you know how to get to the station from here?” Yachi asks beside him.

“Hold on,” he says as his map loads. A pin appears 0.6 kilometers away from them. “How do you feel about getting something to drink first?”

Yachi’s smile is glowing.

“I’d love to!”

 

Although Kei had said that the next subway station is no more than a 0.9 kilometer walk from the grocery store, in the next twenty five minutes, he and Yachi find themselves neck deep into a night market instead, their respective bubble tea drinks in their hands. While neither of them are actually that interested in the food, given the full dinners they’d had back at camp, Kei loses himself in the overall mood of this crowded place. All around them, people are lined up for snack stands or gathered in mini shops. The smell of takoyaki and grilled corn fills the air, clouding his senses and competing with the heat.

“Say, Tsukishima-kun. Did you go to one of these night markets when you were in Tokyo?” Yachi asks after purchasing a stick of baby octopus.

Kei looks around at all the signs before answering. “I didn’t get to, no.”

“Oh, that’s a shame,” she frowns. “I wish we had a really good one like the ones out here closer to home.”

“Mm,” he hums in agreement while Yachi nibbles on her octopus. The closest night market in their area is considerably more lacklustre compared to this. “It’s nice, but the food is too oily anyway.”

They pass a booth selling korokke, the smoke from all the frying rising high up into the air above.

“Yeah, but there’s so many colors and sights and sounds and smells!” she exclaims cheerfully. “It’s both overwhelming and exciting all at the same time!”

Kei eyes the redness of the octopus sticking out of her mouth and glances around at all the brightly lit signs. “That’s true…”

“Does your onii-san like living in Tokyo?”

“Probably. Otherwise he’d work closer to home.”

“What about you? Do you think you’d like it?”

Kei pauses. His immediate answer is yes, but he doesn’t actually know what it’s like to live here, even though he’s certain he would enjoy it.

“Maybe,” he says eventually. “Not sure. I’d like to try it though.”

“Me too,” Yachi returns before slipping back into a pensive state.

They continue on down the street, stopping by stands here and there to browse what kind of items each place has in stock.

“Do you think you’d miss anything about home though?” she eventually asks.

Kei ponders this for a moment. He thinks about the obvious things people miss when they move somewhere far away for the first time — his mother, his childhood bedroom (he’d definitely be bringing his dinosaur figures), Yamaguchi, the rice paddy fields he walks by everyday on his way to school, Sakanoshita, his favorite restaurants… and, well, the answer seems fairly obvious.

“Not particularly,” he answers with a shrug. There would be new restaurants to discover, more convenient stores than he’s ever had access to, and people aren’t usually a thing that Kei necessarily _misses_.

“Really? You wouldn’t?” Yachi asks, eyes big with a mixture of admiration and envy.

Kei doesn’t even need to reconsider. “No, probably not. You?”

Yachi looks down at her feet. “Mm, well, I suppose I wouldn’t miss too many things in the way that I’d think about them all the time or feel a strong ache or longing for it, but it would be a little sad and difficult at first to be away from my mom. I’ve lived with her my whole life — it would be weird and different if she wasn’t always there to give me advice or scold me or tell me what to do. I think at the very least, I’d feel the absence of that.”

“That makes sense,” he says. “If missing something was solely defined by feeling the absence of it, then sure. I might miss a few things too.”

“But no big ache or longing?”

“Probably not.”

“Ah, I see.” She withdraws into her thoughts for a few seconds. Looking back up at Kei, she adds, “I know I mentioned I probably wouldn’t feel that strong ache either, but until I move out, I can’t be entirely sure that that will still end up being the case.  So the fact that you can say it with such certainty is amazing.”

Kei shrugs again. “It’s nothing spectacular. Home is just a concept. It’s we who attach sentiment to it. Or a lack thereof.”

“Huh, I never thought about it that way,” she muses. “Is Miyagi a place you consider home then?”

“It is… for now. But Miyagi as a place will never change. What’s home to someone can always change.”

“Hmm, maybe so.” She gazes up at the sky, looking wistful. “I think I will definitely miss my mom’s omurice on Saturday mornings though. It may come from sentiment, but it’s something that will always signify home for me, no matter where I end up living. Though… it might be hard at first to be without it.”

Kei gives a small, sympathetic hum. “I guess some things can’t be helped. It doesn’t have to be a loss though. There are always new things and new experiences to reshape your life around.”

“That’s a good way of looking at it,” Yachi nods. She stops for a moment to admire some hair pins at a store before continuing on. “Do you think you’ll move out of Miyagi after graduation?”

“Yeah,” Kei replies. “Going to apply to some schools down here in Tokyo.”

“Really?” she brightens. “Me too!”

“Mm. So maybe we’ll both be in the city for the foreseeable future.”

“That would be nice,” she smiles, looking down at the ground. “As much as I love the idea of moving out here, it would be a lot harder if I didn’t know anyone.”

Kei considers her words. “But you know Kozume-san and Kuroo-san.”

“Ah, yeah,” Yachi nods. “That’s true. But what I meant was that it would be nice if someone I’m closer to was also going to be nearby.”

Closer to. Close. _Oh._

He can’t tell what expression he’s making, but he’s assuming it’s some combination of surprise and disbelief because in the next moment, Yachi is panicking and trying to amend herself.

“I — I mean! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to assume we were close or anything!” she rushes to explain, waving her hands apologetically. “I just meant that — since we see each other a lot more often at school and such, your presence is a lot more familiar and comfortable so — ah, no, that doesn’t sound quite right either, does it?”

Kei drops his hand on her shoulder in an attempt to stem her flow of words. Yachi’s eyes snap up to his face in surprise, her mouth parted in confusion, and Kei has to wonder why he keeps attracting anxious and nervous friends like Yamaguchi and Yachi.

“You worry too much,” he mutters. “And in any case, you’re not wrong. I’ve spent way too much of my entire high school career with the team.”

She breaks off into a weak giggle and scratches the back of her head. “That’s true…”

Sliding his hand off her shoulder, he continues to walk on. At the end of the night market street, they toss their trash in a nearby trash can and Kei pulls out his phone to navigate them to the nearest subway station.

As they make their way over, he tilts his head upwards at one of the stoplights to stare at the night sky. It’s an empty sort of black that doesn’t draw any sort of attention to it in the midst of all the bright lights down here, a hazy taffeta of inky darkness hovering over tall buildings above them. It’s a stark contrast to the deep navy canopy of twinkling stars he knows he would find back in his own backyard in Miyagi. The thought brings a small, unexpected lump to his throat.

“You know,” he mentions as the crosswalk turns green and they start to move with the crowd. “I think there might be one thing I really will miss once I move to Tokyo.”

“Hmm? What’s that?”

Normally he’d keep a thought like this to himself. Kei doesn’t really know what’s pushing him to share, though the ease of being able to talk to Yachi about things like the concept of home and what it means to miss it is probably a small part of it.

“The stars,” he answers, glancing up again. “Even though it’s all the same sky, it looks different depending on where you are.”

He hears a small giggle from Yachi and looks down at her in surprise.

“What?” he asks, an eyebrow raised.

She beams up at him, the corner of her eyes crinkling with her smile. “Of all the things you could miss about Miyagi, you choose the one thing that will still be there in front of you, no matter where you go.”

“I didn’t ‘choose’ it…” Kei mumbles under his breath.

“No, no, I think it’s really fascinating!” she insists. “When it comes down to it, it’s not the physical stuff you end up missing, but more of an abstract concept, like your vantage point.”

“You make it sound more interesting than it actually is,” Kei says, pursing his lips.

Yachi laughs. “You never stop downplaying yourself, do you?”

Upon reaching the subway entrance, they swipe their metrocards and walk up the stairs to the platform. It’ll be way past curfew by the time they make it back but fortunately for Kei, it’s difficult for anyone to be angry with Yachi. He can only hope that Yamaguchi will cover for them before Ukai and Takeda-sensei themselves go to sleep so that he and Yachi can sneak back undetected.

It being a weeknight, the train is fairly empty when they step through the doors. After finding seats by the window, they watch as the city slowly disappears from view behind them and become little lights dancing in the distance.

“You know,” Yachi says, leaning her forehead against the glass as she stares out at its receding glow. “The fact that you can’t see the stars as well in the city because of how bright all the buildings are… in a way, it’s almost like… when you’re in a place like this, the stars have all moved down here instead. So instead of gazing up at them, it’s like you’re actually living among the stars.”

“Mm,” Kei hums, his mind feeling numb and heavy with sleep. He doesn’t know how he’s going to get up for practice tomorrow.

“I hope we get to go to school near each other next year in Tokyo,” she adds, turning back in her seat now that the view has disappeared. “I had fun exploring the city with you.”

She gives a great, big yawn as her words echo again in Kei’s ears, dimly registering as a warm, syrupy feeling. Settling into her seat, she smiles down at her lap and lets her eyes slip shut.

“T-tired…” she mumbles, her head swaying as the train turns. A few strands of her bangs slip out of her ponytail and fall back down into her face. As sleepy as Kei is, he keeps his eyes open so he can witness this.

 _Yamaguchi may have had a point,_ he thinks distantly as he stifles a yawn. _Yachi really_ is _kind of cute._

 

—

秋

fall

❧

 

She shouldn’t be nervous; it’s just a day trip. But for some reason, every time she remembers the totally calm expression on Tsukishima’s face when he’d asked if she’d wanted to accompany him on a visit to Todai, a multitude of butterflies erupts in the pit of her stomach, wings beating to burst out of her chest.

The bullet train speeds ahead, its engine quiet and efficient, carrying its occupants along with smooth finesse. This time, to Hitoka’s surprise, Tsukishima had brought earbuds to share instead of his usual headphones and had offered one to her to listen. The single act had done nothing to help clear the butterflies fluttering inside her.

It is by no means the first time she’s wandered around the city with him alone, but the last two times had both been more of a result of chance meetings. This time, on the Monday leading up to today, Tsukishima had approached her after class and asked if she was busy on Saturday. Hitoka is sure it’s a casual hang out between friends, but she can’t help feeling like there’d been more intent behind his cool gaze. Just the idea of a planned, full day trip on a weekend alone sounds a little too much like a d—

She clamps down on that thought.

Keeping her head down, she glances over at Tsukishima sitting in the aisle seat beside her. He’s engrossed in the book he’s reading, his elbow perched on the armrest and cheek propped up by his knuckles. A Beatles song plays out through the earbuds they’re sharing, a laid back, guitar sort of melody. Leaning her head back against her seat, Hitoka opens her own book and starts to read.

 

They get off at Tokyo station sometime past noon and head into Bunkyo for lunch. Because of the cold weather, they decide on a ramen place and fill their empty stomachs with warm broth.

“Was there anything you wanted to do in particular today?” Hitoka asks once they step outside after finishing their meal.

Tsukishima shrugs. “Not really.”

“Hmm, well…” she pulls out her phone and browses the net. “There’s the Tokyo National Museum, Shibuya crossing… oh! Todai is really close to where we are right now. That’s the school you want to attend the most, right?”

“Mm. Yeah.”

“Maybe we can stop by, since it’s so near,” she suggests.

Tsukishima gives another noncommittal shrug. “Sure.”

The university turns out to be a ten minute walk from the ramen place. When they reach the front entrance, Hitoka realizes she has never actually walked onto a college campus before for pure leisurely reasons. Compared to high school, the buildings are much bigger and the path in between wider, more accommodating. Even though they’re only a few months from graduating, the college world feels so grown-up and large. The thought is intimidating — that they’re on the cusp of something unknown and wide open, while the majority of everything they’ve known leading up to it will start to fall away behind them — it’s scary. After all these years, the baby Karasuno crows finally have to leave the nest.

“I can’t believe we only have one semester left,” she sighs. All around them, college students are walking or biking to their respective destinations, looking mature and purposeful. “I know it’s only another year so we aren’t turning _that_ old yet, but time never goes backwards for anyone. So it’s… kinda sad.”

Dead leaves litter the path that they walk on. Although there aren’t any trees in the area they’re in now, the ground crunches with every step they take, the darkened brown leaves having probably been blown over by strong winds.

Tsukishima doesn’t say anything as they keep strolling down the road, but inserts his bare hands in his pants pockets to keep them warm. Taking a deep breath, Hitoka continues on.

“I’m excited though, definitely. University sounds like an amazing experience in many ways and I’m really looking forward to it — but there’s no telling what’s to come or what’s beyond the horizon of graduation. It’s a lot going on all at once.”

Tsukishima keeps his eyes trained on the ground.

“Yeah,” he finally manages before falling silent again.

Something about his distant expression and withdrawn demeanor reminds Hitoka of her first time watching him play during their match against Ushijima. Focused, determined, intense, Tsukishima had poured all his mental energies towards breaking Ushijima’s mind down. Although he doesn’t hold the same ferocity now, one thing Hitoka has learned from that match is how vast and deep the underworkings of Tsukishima’s thoughts really run.

It makes her wonder what he’s thinking about now.

After walking for a few more minutes, the two of them finally come upon the big clock tower. The building with its open courtyard leading up to it is beautiful. Two rows of trees line the pathway leading up to the front doors, their branches adorned with yellow and gold foliage. Every so often, falling leaves flutter to the ground, joining the rest in forming a golden bedding on the pavement floor.

They come to a stop in the plaza leading up to the walkway. It feels surreal, being here at a big name university deep into the middle of their second term. There’s so much to look forward to, yet still so much they’re leaving behind. Leaves falling; an era ending.

“I hope we can stay friends even after high school, Tsukishima-kun,” Hitoka says, keeping her gaze fixed on the path up ahead, mesmerized by the bright, vivid leaves rippling with the autumn breeze. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Tsukishima glance over at her for a second before looking back out at the trees.

“Mm,” he hums.

_Not talkative today, is he?_

“I also hope you get to come here next year, too,” she adds. “I’m definitely going to apply to Keidai, so if we both get in, we’ll only be a thirty minute metro ride away.”

“That’d be nice,” he agrees.

Hitoka frowns, her eyes hovering over him silently as they walk on. In the past few months, ever since their excursion into Saitama city during training camp, they’ve been spending more time together. She can’t really make sense of the feelings that have been cropping up in her, but whether it’s studying and doing homework together or just chatting and hanging out in between practice, she’s seen him in varying moods and mental states over the course of this semester. And right now, Tsukishima is unusually quiet.

“Are you feeling okay?”

He looks over at her with a curious expression, all pensive contemplation pushed beneath the surface once again. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

_Oh, no — did she assume incorrectly?_

“You just — sorry,” she laughs nervously. “Correct me if I’m wrong… I guess you just seem a little down.”

“Do I?” he frowns. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“Mm, no!” she shakes her head vigorously. “There’s no need to apologize! I-if you _are_ feeling that way, I mean…” she trails off, her eyes shifting back and forth between them. “Are you?”

Tsukishima gives her a piercing stare before shrugging one shoulder and looking away. “It’s nothing.”

“Are you excited for next year then?” she asks, trying a different angle. _What would Tsukishima Kei be thinking about?_

Another shrug. “Yes and no.”

“What’s the ‘no’ part?” Hitoka prompts.

Tsukishima pauses in his tracks. “ _‘Time never goes backwards.’_ ”

Hitoka stops walking and turns around to face him. They’re standing somewhere in the middle of a fairly empty plaza on campus, a few weekend stragglers milling about around them. Tsukishima is staring down at the ground, hands in his pockets.

“I may not be the most sentimental person, but…” he lets out a small exhale, his breath fogging in the air. “I’m not unaffected by the passage of time either.”

Hitoka gives him a sympathetic look. “Tsukishima-kun…”

He looks up at the sky, frowning. “I do want to attend Todai next year, but I also don’t want to get my hopes up just yet. Just being able to live in Tokyo for the foreseeable future would be a nice change of pace, but… you’re right. The notion of no longer being in the context of high school is looming over us. We’re always running on time that we can’t get back, but it’s now more than ever that we can really start to feel the slow trickle of sand disappear faster and faster…”

He sighs then looks back down at her.

“That being said. I think for both you and I, our town in Miyagi is just too small of a pond for us to keep swimming around in. That’s the sense I get, anyways. So even though we’ll be leaving something behind, the scope of our dreams and future goals may soon have more room to expand.”

Hitoka takes a moment to let his thoughts sink in. It’s not often Tsukishima expresses any of this out loud. Before she can fully gather herself, however, he turns around and continues walking. Startled by this abrupt shift, she gives a tiny yelp and hurries to catch up.

“Do you really think the scope of my dreams are that big?” she asks.

There’s a shadow of a smirk on his face when he looks over at her. “Of course. You managed to tutor Kageyama until he passed English, didn’t you? If you can do that, you can do anything.”

Hitoka lets out a nervous giggle. “I’m not sure that’s the best way of putting it.”

To her surprise, Tsukishima laughs. Despite the fact that he and Kageyama have come a long way, (in fact, just in their last match, she’d witnessed Tsukishima holding out a reluctant hand for a high five after hitting a spike Kageyama had set up perfectly for him — something that made her think she had possibly lost her mind), she supposes some things never change.

“Anyway,” Tsukishima says, brushing it off in that neutral, casual way that only he can pull off. “I noticed on the map that there’s a bakery near here specializing in various strawberry pastries. Want to go?”

 _Strawberry shortcakes. Of course._ Hitoka nods. “Sure.”

 

The rest of the day passes by in a blur. After getting dessert, Hitoka suggests they go visit the museum. They round out the evening strolling along all the shopping centers and streets of Shibuya and end with dinner at a curry house in the same district.

Tsukishima’s mood seems to have considerably lifted after their serious talk about life and futures. Although he hadn’t said much about it, Hitoka thinks she can tell. After spending an entire day alone together, she finds that not much has really changed in the end. Despite this, she still feels a fuzzy, warm glow in her chest when they settle in for the train ride back, his earbuds split between both their ears. She lets out a yawn, closes her eyes, and leans back in her seat.

 

When she comes to, the first thing she registers is the low whirring hum of the train. It’s still running, plunging them ahead like a bullet through the night. In consideration for all the drowsy post-dinner passengers, the lights had been dimmed at some point through the ride. Blinking wearily, she nuzzles her cheeks into the pillow she’s been sleeping on and tries to get comfortable again. A garbled, mellow lo-fi tune plays out faintly from an earbud dangling below her. Somewhere beside her, the soft scratch of a page turning sounds out.

_This book… it’s… isn’t that…?_

Her eyes snap open at once. Peering over to her right, she sees Tsukishima’s thumb smooth out the page he’s on before settling back into the fold of the book. It’s a thumb that’s attached to his hand, which in turn is attached to his arm, which in turn — is the pillow she’s been sleeping on.

In a frenzied panic, she jumps back with a yelp, heart beating straight out of her chest. “Ah! S-sorry! I didn’t mean to — to fall asleep on you!”

Tsukishima turns to her with an eyebrow raised. “Hm? It’s fine.”

A few of the other passengers nearest to them turn towards her as well, some with an annoyed look on their faces.

Hitoka clamps her mouth shut by way of apology, smiling nervously until they all look away. Leaning back in towards Tsukishima, she lowers her voice when she speaks again.

“I didn’t realize how tired I was,” she says. “I’m sorry, I don’t usually get like this. It — it was the curry! It was super heavy and I ate a lot of it, which maybe wasn’t a good idea in retrospect but — anyway, I’m so sorry, I didn’t think I’d — I didn’t mean to—”

She sucks in her breath as Tsukishima places a hand on her shoulder. It isn’t a tight grip, but she sits frozen still in her seat, and with every breath, his steady hand seems to calm her. Biting her lip nervously, she glances up—

And feels her heart stop when she meets his piercing, amber gaze.

“You’re worrying too much again,” he murmurs, eyes surveying her unblinkingly behind his glasses. The book in his lap lays folded over his thumb on his other hand, forgotten. There’s something about his half-lidded stare, focused and curious beneath the dim lights, that stops her from looking away.

“Tsukishima-kun?” she asks, tilting her head questioningly.

Without another word, he leans in slowly and plants a swift kiss on the corner of her lips. Her eyes are wide when he pulls back, heart thumping loudly against her ribcage.

_What just—? What just happened?!_

“Sorry,” he says, as though he’d done nothing out of the ordinary just now. “I didn’t want to disturb you when you were sleeping.”

“While… while I was…” she stammers, but Tsukishima has already returned to his place in the book.

Cheeks still flaming hot, Hitoka grabs his wrist, forcing him to look at her.

“When I—” she breaks off, then takes a deep breath before continuing. “When I said earlier that I hope we stay friends after high school, you — you agreed with that, didn’t you?”

The corners of his lips twitch with a small smile.

“For the most part,” he says. “What about you?”

“What about me what?” she asks breathlessly.

“Did _you_ agree?”

“I — I meant… I guess I meant _‘for the most part,’_ too…” she trails off, her grip weakening.  “But that also means — if you’re saying that too — we can — it means we can be more… right?”

His lips curve into a full-fledged smile at that. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Lowering the wrist Hitoka’s still grasping onto to the armrest between them, Tsukishima turns it over until her hand slides into his smoothly. Her heart jumps as he intertwines their fingers together.

_Oh. So this is what she’s been feeling._

“You can go back to sleep if you want,” he mutters, opening his book again with his other hand. “I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

“Oh — okay.”

_So this is all just going to be normal now, is it? Well, if that’s the case…_

With a yawn, she settles back into position, resting her head against his arm. “Thank you for taking me out to the city today, Tsukishima.”

“No problem.”

And just like that, despite the looming end of an era or the darkness surrounding them outside as they speed back to Miyagi, the future starts to appear much brighter. With a small smile, Hitoka closes her eyes and lets the soft hum of the bullet train lull her back to sleep.

 

.

.

.

 _And I miss you when you're not around_ _  
_ _I'm getting ready to leave the ground_

**Author's Note:**

> as always, please come say hello or scream about hq with me at [tumblr](https://lavendori.tumblr.com) and/or [twitter](https://twitter.com/lavendori)!


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